The most FAQ about New Zealand.

Yes, whether you are going to New Zealand for a vacation or work, you will need some kind of visa to enter the country.

• Tourist visa

If 3 months of the holiday is enough for you and you do not plan to work in the country than only what you need is a tourist visa, which you will get at the airport after arrival.

• Working holiday visa for New Zealand (WHS)

If you fall into the category of tourists who meet the conditions then you have the option of applying for a Working Holiday visa (check the full article for conditions for each country). The applications open once a year and only a limited number of people from each country are accepted.

• Working visa for New Zealand

If you don’t meet the conditions for a Working Holiday visa you might apply for a working visa instead.

There are also other visa options that you can read more about on the Immigration Office website. Simply fill the country you’re from and what your intentions are in New Zealand and the system will bring up all of your available options.

While the conditions might differ from country to country, some deciding factors are:

• Nationality (determines other conditions)
• Age (Depends on country)
• Bringing children with you (Travelling with children is prohibited while traveling with this visa)
• Not have already received a Working Holiday Visa (you can only get them approved once in a lifetime)
• Good health condition
• No criminal record

For the actual application you will need:

• Passport
• ID card
• Credit card
• Computer / smartphone / tablet
• Internet connection
• A piece of luck

Complete information about this kind of visa you can find in our article Working Holiday Visa.

The handling fee for a Working Holiday (WHS) Visa application is 208 NZD (Might be different for some countries). You will be asked to pay for it at the last stage of the visa application. The charge is non-refundable in the case of an application being rejected but if the quota is overfill for a given year, you won’t be able to pay. So you don‘t have to be worried about that. The only way to get a refund is by applying for one before your application is processed by an immigration office.

If you have successfully paid for your visa (WHS) there is a very good chance you will get it. Be patient, the approval process may take a few days or even weeks. At the time of processing, you should receive some information on your email about changing your visa status. Unfortunately, emails sometimes do not come so it is better to log in to the immigration system where you applied for a visa and check directly for up-to-date information. If your application is marked as APPROVED, it is done! You will go to New Zealand!

If you traveling to New Zealand on Working Holiday visa than you need to have travel insurance for all the time of your visit. It should cover manual work and some sport too if you are planning to do some. We mostly recommend True Traveller travel insurance especially because of good coverage and client satisfaction.

A medical check-up is mandatory if you plan on staying in New Zealand 6 months or more and:

• You come from a country that does not have a low incidence of tuberculosis (The country is considered to be risky) or
• You have spent more than 3 months in such countries in the past 5 years

You admit to staying in such countries in your visa application; in the case of Working Holiday (WHS), you will receive a document asking you to deliver proof of medical check-up after applying and paying for your visa. So do not forget to check your visa status from time to time.

You can only get the medical check-up done at the approved hospital or the approved medical stations which you can find on the list on the website.​

If you did not fit the Working holiday visa’s annual quota, we have a special article prepared just for you, „I did not get a WHS“  in which we advise you on how to proceed in this case. However, you can simply opt for the possibility of visiting the country with a tourist visa or just postpone your trip for the next year. 

If you have an approved visa, you can leave immediately. But do not forget to take care of important things before leaving, which can save you a lot of worries and money in the future. You have exactly one year to enter New Zealand after receiving your visa. So you have plenty of time to deal with the necessities and plan your journey. After entering New Zealand, you have another year to stay in the country. And if you want to stay longer you can apply for a visa extension.

To work in New Zealand, you must have a work permit in the form of a Working Holiday Visas or Work Visas, without which you cannot get an IRD number which is your tax number which is required to get a job. Working without a work permit is, of course, illegal and finding some without one is very hard. An alternative way could be Wwoofing which is working in exchange for accommodation and meal. Even for this kind of work, you should officially have a working permit, but people don’t care as much in this case.

If you travel to New Zealand, you should have an amount of NZ $ 1,000 per month for your stay (NZD 400 if you already have paid-for accommodation). If you have a working permit then an amount of 4200 NZD per year is required to enter the country. For more information, please read our finance article.

To get a legal job in New Zealand, you will need a New Zealand bank account and a tax number (IRD number). A New Zealand phone number and residence address is also useful.

The minimum wage is successfully increasing in New Zealand from year to year and the current amount is found on external websites.

Since New Zealand is an island country, high-quality workers are in high demand. If you have something to offer, you can get a well-paid job there. If you have limited experience and you are going to make something extra, then you can start with seasonal work in agriculture, construction or service. Child care or active work in the mountains or tourist industry are also on high demand. If you are not afraid of working with your hands, you certainly do not have to be worried about finding a job. How to find a job or how to whip up a good CV can be found the respective articles.

Yes. As a part of Working Holidays it is important to first enter the country, which must happen no later than one year after receiving it, then you have another eyar during which you can exit and enter the country as you please. This fact allows you to discover not only the beauty of New Zealand, but also Australia and the other islands around, and in the winter you can fly to Asia.

The official language of New Zealand is English. However, it is slightly different from the British or American version, and you may be little confused at the start of your visit but you will get used to it quickly. The second official language is Maori, which is the native language so in addition to the classic „Hello“, you can also hear the Maori version: „Kia Ora“.

The main tourist season in New Zealand runs from December to March, which there means summer and autumn. Each period has its advantages and differences. Many will certainly appreciate the more peaceful spring period when individual tourist attractions are not as crowded or a winter season spent in the mountains. For more information on each of the seasons, we recommend reading our article about Weather.

New Zealand is a paradise for nature lovers not only because of incredible nature but also because you do not have to worry about wild dangerous animals. There is are poisonous animals outside of one species of mountain spider, which you should not be afraid of. There are no predators dangerous to humans living in New Zealand. 

Traveling by train or bus can prove to be quite complicated and can be most useful when moving from city to city. Fro visiting tourist attractions and natural landmarks, a car is definitely the best choice. There are several ways to get a car. If you only plan to travel for a few weeks, renting one would be the ideal choice, but if you plan to stay a month or longer, investing in buying one might be worth it. According to your needs, you can choose between classic cars or campervans with or without self-contained certification. If you are an adventurer or a low-cost traveler, then the car will offer you the perfect option to lower your cost for the living because you can not only use it for traveling but you can also live in it. Remember, if you want to drive on New Zealand, you will need an international driving license.

You can travel New Zealand by hitchhiking as a low-cost option but the downside of this way of traveling is, of course, the requirement of constantly having to carry all your baggage and also the low flexibility. It is quite disadvantageous but also quite common here.

Kiwis (local people) are very friendly and the country itself is considered very safe. However, some level of crime is found everywhere so keeping an eye on your belongings and not leaving valuables in the car is definitely recommended. Humans aren’t the greatest threat here but the untamed nature can often prove to be, and it can often surprise you with an earthquake a cyclone, or strong wind and rain. For more specifics on what to look out for, check out our Safety article.

Driving in New Zealand requires an International Driving License, valid for one year, an official translation (if it is not in English) or a New Zealand driver's license.

Cesta na Nový Zéland je dlouhá a může být únavná, myslete proto na svůj komfort a pohodlí a nezapomeňte si do svého příručního zavazadla přibalit kromě dokladů, peněženky a elektroniky také třeba náhradní oblečení, hygienu, polštářek a dobrou knihu či oblíbenou hudbu. V odbaveném zavazadle by pak nemělo chybět outdoorové vybavení, zejména pak kvalitní funkční oblečení a boty. Více typů, na co nezapomenout se dozvíte v článku Co zabalit.

No vaccinations are mandatory for entering New Zealand but (especially if you plan to visit Southeast Asia during your trip) we recommend having the hepatitis A and B and typhoid vaccines done. For more information, see our Vaccination article.

A self-contained car is a type of campervan that has a self-contained vehicle certification, meaning that it has a functional toilet and running water available in the car. These cars generally have more freedom while traveling because they do not have to depend on campsites.